“Sic’s brothers are here, we need to hurry.” Zugo popped his head into my closet, as I pulled my shirt over my head. “Emot said breakfast will have to wait for a bit.” I buttoned my pants and we rushed down the stairs to the great room.
Ten men stood around talking softly to Sic as we entered, and then they all stopped. “Maisie, let me introduce my brothers to you.” Sic walked over as they slowly lined up. “I’ll go in age order from oldest to youngest. You remember Sunzi. Sanouc, Shiqe, Shaca, Sogaxuth, Shaxath.” He paused for a moment as I shook each hand. “I would be next. Then it’s Shajeix, Saakocosh, Senunshouc, Shejekox.” He didn’t mention the youngest three, and I could understand why.
I looked over the group and realized I was never going to remember them all. The only thing I could remember was they all started with S. “It is nice to meet all of you.”
“Don’t worry about remembering everyone’s name. Very few people get us all right,” Sunzi laughed, and the others chuckled. “May we sit? We have some news.”
“Please do.” I waved towards the table and they all sat, while I tried to remember all their names, and instead just numbered them all. The table was damn near full as Sic and Kai took one side and Emot and Zugo the other, sitting between me and the others. I made a mental note to ask about that later.
“We received word, this morning, that mother’s body was found just outside of the Northern wall. A group of spies retrieved her body, and she is now in the citadel with the boys.” Sunzi spoke softly and without emotion. I looked at Sic and he seemed somewhat relieved at the news.
“I can give you the details after Her Majesty leaves, but I would like to spare her from it,” Sunzi spoke to Sic, but he looked apologetically at me.
“If I am to be the Empress of this land, shouldn’t I be aware of all the necessary information?” I spoke kindly, but with the authority of the position everyone wanted me to fulfill.
“If you insist, Your Majesty. Salima was found naked with her neck snapped, but the worst part is that her body was covered in thin blade cuts. She died of blood loss and asphyxiation, the broken neck was just the cherry on the cake,” he spoke slowly, as I steeled my nerves for each new piece of information. “We did an autopsy and her eggs were almost ready to be laid.”
I hadn’t been prepared for that information and rose, slowly walking from the room. Once I reached the stairs, I ran, barely making it to the bathroom before emptying the contents of my stomach. I felt a hand on my back and turned to see Sic sitting next to me. “How could he do that? How could he kill his unborn kids?”
Sic continued to rub my back as I flushed the toilet. “He didn’t kill anyone other than Salima. Eggs are not fertilized until they are laid, so they are no different than a chicken egg that you find in a grocery store.” He pulled me into his lap and held me tight.
“Then why would he bother killing her before she laid them?” I asked, as he pushed the hair back from my face.
“He is trying to kill his only daughter. I highly doubt he would want any other children. Plus, I suspect, she might have told him about Clara, there was a sign by her body that read ‘Queen Killer’.” He helped me stand, and steadied me until I was okay without support.
“How does that even work? I don’t get it,” I rinsed my mouth after I asked, and Sic waited for the water to turn off before answering.
“I think you should go have a chat with Escu. She can give you the full details from a woman’s perspective. I only know the technical details.” We walked back out of the room and towards the stairs.
“I feel like a fool,” I whispered before the sitting room doors opened.
“Don’t. They understand that it wasn’t the details that upset you,” Sic spoke, and we walked through the doors and started down the stairs.
Sic’s brothers were still around the table as we walked back in. “I apologize for that gentlemen,” I spoke to the group.
“No need to apologize. We were going to plan our brothers’ funerals, since we decided that our mother doesn’t deserve one, but they do,” Sunzi spoke gently. “You don’t have to stay for the planning.” He smiled and Sic nodded to Emot.
“Thank you for understanding. I will let you plan in peace.” I was kind of relieved to not have to help, I was still not prepared for all the customs here.
“Emot, why don’t you take Maisie to see your mother for a bit?” Sic suggested, and I cringed inwardly. I didn’t want to have a sex talk with my mate’s mother.
Emot offered his arm and the others rose and bowed. “It was nice meeting all of you and I will make sure Sic helps me learn all your names before next time.” Several chuckled as we turned and Emot walked me out the castle doors. “Can we not go to your mother? I don’t want to have a sex and babies talk with her, I’ll just figure it out as I go,” I asked as soon as the door closed behind us.
“Sssorry love, but you probably ssshould know before the first go round.” I sighed as we began to walk towards the Nymph’s lake and his parents’ house. “At leassst the breeding part, anyway. I think you can ssskip the sssex talk with her. You’re pretty well versssed in that department,” he smiled at his cheeky reply, and I bumped him with my shoulder.
“Fine, it beats having to plan a funeral. I just can’t believe she would do that to his brothers. I can’t believe Vago would kill her because she wanted his babies.” Emot rubbed my hand as we neared the lake. Cobra and Viper were outside of Jeca’s place when we approached, and they both waved.
Cobra walked over for a moment and handed Emot a small basket filled with small glass vials. “Thank me later. The red ones are Fairymoss, the black is Rushed Nightfall in small doses, and the blue vials are Cosmic Pecker.” She pointed at me before saying, “You don’t drink that one. There are two bottles of Aromatic Nightfall for Zugo and Maisie to visit the sprites for two days only. Finally, the green one is Sunrise Honey. Now, you take that back to the castle and we will make sure Maisie gets to Escu.” She shooed Emot away and pulled me toward Evat and Escu’s home. “Don’t worry, she knows we’re coming.”
Just as Cobra said that, the front door opened and Jeca pulled Evat out of the house. “Come on Evat, we know we aren’t wanted. Let’s go find somewhere else to be.” Evat grumbled but followed Jeca anyway. Escu waited for us on the doorstep and welcomed us with hugs.
Arinsa was setting snacks out on the table as we entered, and she smiled sweetly. Ezet was also gone and Arinsa blushed as we began stilling around the table. “Do we really need to have this conversation?” she asked, and I was so glad it wasn’t me, but I was thinking the same thing.
“Yes, you especially, since you’re only weeks away from laying.” Cobra smiled at Arinsa, and she blushed even redder. Escu’s eyes widened and she began to tear up. “I’m going to be a grandmother?” It was a statement and question all in one, and she hugged Arinsa before she could sit down.
“Well, now that the news is out, let’s begin this, shall we?” Viper picked up a sandwich and bit into it, while Escu and Arinsa sat down. Cobra piled a plate with food and handed it to me with a look that said ‘eat’.
“I guess, the first thing we should do is see if you have any questions,” Escu said, as she looked at the two of us.
“I have one, I guess. Sic said that Salima wasn’t pregnant when she died, but she was about to lay eggs. How is that not pregnant?” I asked, still somewhat dismayed my father would do that kind of thing.
“Well, in human reproduction, the egg is formed in the ovary, and then released and fertilized. In basilisks, the egg only partially forms before it is released, then continues forming until ready to lay. They aren’t fertilized until the laying process, so when the egg is being laid, your body uses the semen it has collected as lubrication, and that is when the egg becomes fertilized.” I almost gagged remembering when I was sick, and all that fluid rushed out.
“So, in Arinsa’s case, Ezet is the only man, at this point, that she has been with, whereas you will hav
e to choose whose semen to use when it comes time for you to lay eggs,” Cobra injected more information into the conversation.
“How would I choose? Doesn’t it all get stored together?” Viper laughed at my question, but Cobra shot her a look of death and she shut up.
“When a female has multiple mates, each is stored in a different duct within your reproductive system. Your basilisk form will know who’s is where, and when you decide who’s to use, she can direct the correct functions. Unfortunately, laying eggs is a basilisk thing and we must be shifted to lay the eggs,” Escu answered, and Arinsa began to scratch the back of her neck. “Stop scratching, you will shed soon enough. That is another thing, we shed about two to three weeks before we lay, some people refer to it as clutching, because we can have up to twelve eggs at once, but most basilisks will have less than three.”
“TWELVE!” I gasped, and they chuckled. “Who the hell wants twelve kids, all at once?”
“Basilisk children are vastly different than human children. They remain in basilisk form for the first year. Usually, they learn to shift when they turn one, and they begin the process of learning to walk and talk and everything.” I could tell my face was a mask of horror when Viper snorted.
“I think it’s safe to say she doesn’t want baby snakes slithering around, any time soon,” Viper was absolutely correct. If I had my choice, no baby snakes ever. My basilisk hissed her displeasure at my thought, and I agreed to ponder more about it later.
“The worst is if they have wings like yours will,” Escu said to Arinsa. “They tend to fly very soon after birth and get into everything.”
“Nope, I’m out.” I rose to leave but Cobra grabbed my wrist and pulled me back down. “I don’t want to be anywhere near flying snakes,” I mumbled.
“First off, Arinsa hasn’t laid eggs yet, and secondly, they would still take about sixty days to hatch. So, there won’t be any flying snakes for at least that long,” Cobra spoke harshly, and forced me to sit still.
“What else? Do you have any other questions?” Escu asked, and I thought about it for a moment. I was somewhat relieved to know that Salima hadn’t actually been pregnant, but it was still despicable what Vago had done.
My mind focused on this morning suddenly, and I remember to ask about the whole locking thing. “Why do our bodies lock up and stay that way for hours?”
Arinsa giggled and Escu’s brows rose slightly. “What do you mean by hours?”
“Well, Kai and I got stuck for like four hours, and Sic and I were stuck all night long,” I blushed as I explained, and Escu smiled softly in understanding.
“The closer you get to ovulation, your body will store more, depending on how many eggs you produce. So, if you only have one then the locking is very short. It will get significantly longer if you have more eggs. Since you have four mates, it will do it with all of them,” Escu spoke quietly, and I realized something shocking.
“You said as ovulation gets near so does that mean…” I trailed off, and felt the room begin to spin. “I don’t want… I can’t have… not yet,” my words were broken as I rose, needing fresh air. The room spun faster and as soon as I walked two steps the room blackened, and nothingness claimed me.
I woke up to see Emot and Kai, along with the ladies. They had moved me to a couch, and I cringed as I sat up. “Are you alright, sugar?” Kai asked, as Escu handed me a glass of water. I took a sip before realizing it was yellow and tasted just a bit sweeter than the water on Earth.
“She just hyperventilated and passed out. I think the shock of realizing she was close to ovulation frightened her,” Escu explained, and I realized it was still scaring the shit out of me.
“There is a bottle of Sunrise Honey in that basket I gave you,” Cobra said to Emot, and he nodded his understanding. Escu frowned slightly but didn’t say anything else.
“We should get you back to the castle, it is getting late and we have a funeral to go to tomorrow. They are having it in the Western Kingdom so we will have to leave before sunrise.” Emot helped me stand as I handed Escu the cup back.
“If you have any more questions, please feel free to ask one of us,” Escu said, as the guys helped me towards the door.
“Thank you, and I’m sorry for all the trouble,” I said, as we walked outside. They waved off my concerns and then waved goodbye as we began our walk back. Once out of sight of the house, Kai scooped me up and they walked faster.
The castle doors stood open as we approached, and I watched the banshee lady leave, her men nowhere to be seen. She bowed briefly before disappearing, as we walked inside. Sic and Zugo stood looking worried, as Kai brough me in and began up the stairs. “What happened?” Sic asked, as the sitting room doors opened, and Kai walked into the bedroom before setting me on my feet.
“Nothing, I guess I panicked and passed out.” Emot walked to my bathroom as I spoke and opened the door. I saw the basket that Cobra had given him, and he fished out the green vial before walking back.
“Here, drink thisss.” Emot handed me the vial and Sic wrapped his hand around it before I could drink any.
“What is it?” he asked, and Emot was the one to answer.
“Sssunrise Honey,” Emot said, and Sic looked at me with wide eyes.
“Don’t you think we should discuss this with everyone before she takes it?” Sic asked all of us.
“What is Sunrise Honey?” Zugo saved me from having to ask the question myself.
“It’s basically birth control for a basilisk, any eggs that might be forming will never get released and get reabsorbed,” Sic explained, but I could hear the frustration in his voice.
“She just had a fucking panic attack thinking about potentially having children. Don’t you think we should wait until she is ready, Sic?” Kai was the one who spoke up, being reasonable.
“I’m right here, ya know,” I said, but no one heard me.
“I still think it’s a discussion we should all have. I’m not opposed to waiting until later, but it is something we, as a family, need to talk about,” Sic hissed back, and I pulled my hand from his forcing him to look at me.
“It’s ultimately my choice, and I’m not ready.” I slammed the vial of honey and gagged at its sweetness. “When I feel ready, then we can discuss kids.” I handed the vial to Emot and walked to the bathroom locking the doors behind me. Turning the shower on, I ignored the hushed argument going on outside the doors and stepped in, letting the water wash over me. The warm water relaxed my muscles as I washed. Once I was clean, I just stood in the water, trying not to think about this morning’s conversation.
When I got out, the room outside my door was silent, so I dried off swiftly and unlocked the door. The room was empty, and I decided to use this time for a nap, since we were going to be leaving soon. I dropped my towel on the floor and climbed into the middle of the big bed, curling up under the sheets.
Just before I began to doze off, I felt the bed dip and then an arm wrapped around me. I could smell Kai, as he curled up behind me and felt him kiss my head. “I love you,” he whispered softly, and I turned into his chest.
“I love you too,” I said, as I closed my eyes again.
“Get some rest.” He rubbed my back until I yawned and slowly drifted off to sleep.
When I woke up Kai was still holding me, and the room was pitch black. The sun had set as I slept, but Kai was wide awake. “What time is it?” I asked, as I stretched in his arms.
“Time for me to poke you if you keep stretching like that,” he replied, and I laughed.
“No, really, what time is it?” I asked again, and he rolled on top of me.
“I wasn’t kidding… we still have a few hours before we need to leave.” He settled between my legs but didn’t start anything.
“You are incorrigible,” I said, as he rubbed himself on me.
“Yes, I am, but you love it.” He pressed a kiss to my nose and then rolled back off. “I can get Sic or Emot if you would prefer that. Hell, I
can get all three of them and we can keep you tied up in this bed for hours.” He laughed again as I sighed.
“Right now, might not be a good time, but some day,” his smile brightened as I spoke, and he propped himself up on his elbow to look at me.
“You are so sexy when you get demanding, and the way you took charge this afternoon had my cocks hard as granite.” He slid his free hand down and lifted the sheet so I could see his cocks. “See?”
I giggled as he wiggled his hips to get my attention down there, before slipping a hand down to grab them both. “I think you can wait for later,” I teased, knowing later would be minutes, but the anticipation was half the fun.
He groaned as I stroked him slowly and then dropped the sheet to pull me closer trapping my hand between his cocks and our bodies. “I can work with this for now,” he replied and began thrusting into my hand. “Two can play that game,” he teased back, and I felt his hand slide down my ass.
He pulled my leg up onto his hip and then slid his hand along my slit. “See? I can tease too.” His finger slipped in and he barely thrust it, just lazily moving it.
“Totally not fair,” I whispered, as I rolled back just enough to push his cocks between my legs. He continued to thrust his hips, and both rubbed my clit as his finger kept moving. I moaned as I pressed my lips to his and tried to pull him back on top of me.
“Oh no, sugar, you’re gonna have to beg for it,” Kai said breaking our kiss, while swirling his finger and adding a second.
“Please, Kai,” I said in my best sweet-sounding voice, making him laugh.
“Try again, sugar,” he said, and increased his speed. My body needed more, and his cocks were so close.
The Basilisk Empress Page 2